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First Formally Trained American Nurse - Linda Anne Judson Richards
In 1873 Linda Anne Judson Richards became America's first formally trained nurse after graduating from the New England Hospital for Women & Children's General Training School for Nurses. Linda was the first nurse to begin keeping written patient records that included nurses notes and physician orders; setting the precedence for today's patient medical records. She also introduced the practice of nurses wearing uniforms. Image of Richards in 1877 obtained from Vermont Historical Society website. -
American Red Cross Founded
Nurse Clara Barton founded The American Red Cross in May of 1881. The American Red Cross was organized to provide medical support and relief during times of war, crisis, and disaster. The image is a letter written by Clara Barton on May 19th, 1881 to invite the recipient to a meeting to endorse the organization of the Red Cross. -
Henry Street Settlement House
The Henry Street Settlement was founded by humanitarian and nurse Lillian Wald. The Henry Street Settlement served as place to provide public nursing services and education to those who could otherwise not afford such services. The Henry Street Settlement is located at 265 Henry Street on the Lower East side of Manhattan and is still fully operational today continuing to serve the underprivileged citizens of New York. Image obtained at https://jwa.org/media/visiting-nurse-promotional-brochure -
Childrens Bureau Founded
On April 9th,1912 President William Howard Taft signed the bill establishing the Children's Bureau into the U.S. Department of Labor. Nurse Lillian Wald along with Jane Adams and Florence Kelley created the National Child Labor Committee and advocated for the passage of the Children's Bureau. The Children's Bureau was established to protect the welfare of all American children regardless of race, gender, or class. Image obtained at https://cb100.acf.hhs.gov/childrens-bureau-timeline -
American Red Cross Nurses during WWI
The image portrayed in the title of this timeline is an image captured in 1917 of American Red Cross nurses in Chicago recruiting fellow nurses to join them in provided nursing services to the WWI soldiers during wartime. Their posters state, "humanity calls you what is your answer?" and "Nurses the Call from No Man's Land is Come Across." The image was obtained at http://www.redcross.org/local/illinois/chicago-northern-illinois/about/history -
Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Act
The Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Act became law on November 23rd, 1921 when President Warren G. Harding signed the bill. The Sheppard-Towner Act would provide 1.5 million dollars of government funding for well-baby clinics, educational programs, and nursing services. The Sheppard-Towner Act grew from the works of the Children's Bureau in an effort to decrease the infant mortality rates. The image shown is a Chinatown well-baby clinic in 1934 funded by the Sheppard-Towner Act. -
Publication of Nursing and Nursing Education in the United States
Nursing and Nursing Education in the United States published in 1923 was the first major study of American Nursing. The study and publication was founded by the Rockefeller Foundation. The study was conducted to identify problem areas of nursing education and to help construct a basic framework for future nursing education at the college level. Nursing was slowly starting to evolve into a recognized profession. Image obtained at https://archive.org/details/nursingnursinged00comm
